Garment belt



Aug. 13, 1946.

L. w. FOSTER v GARMENT BELT Filed Oct. 6, 1944 Patented Aug. 13, 1946UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates generally to wearingapparel, such as belted coats, jackets and gowns,

and more particularly to improvements in the construction andarrangement of the belt in association with the garment of which itforms a part.

Among the principal objects of the present invention is to provide animproved means for securing the belt to the garment against accidentalloss or displacement thereof, the arrangement being such that such meansis normally concealed by the belt to render the same invisible to theeye.

A further object of the present invention is to provide belt securingmeans of the character aforesaid which affords the belt limited movementlongitudinally thereof with respect to the garment with which it isassociated in order that the belt may be comfortably adjusted about thewaist of the wearer.

Still another object of the invention is to provide retaining means forthe belt which permits the latter to be readily removed from the garmentas desired and which facilitates as ready replacement of the belt insecured relation to the garment, the said retaining means beingoperative to maintain the belt at all times in its proper and desirableposition with respect to the garment.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide retainingmeans for the belt which is of exceedingly simple and inexpensiveconstruction and which in no way detracts from or changes theconventional appearance of the belt when it is secured to the garmentfor which it is intended.

Other objects and general advantages of the present invention willappear more fully hereinafter, it being understood that the presentinvention consists substantially in the combination, construction,location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be describedhereinafter, as shown in the accompanying drawing and as finally pointedout in the appended claims.

In the said accompanying drawing, which 11- lustrates a preferredconstruction embodying the principles of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a rear view of a belted coat having a belt detachablysecured thereto in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view of the waist portion of the coat showing inperspective the belt secured thereto by the retaining means of thepresent in- Vention;

3 Claims. (01. 2-93) Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken alonthe line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure2;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2showing belt retainer tab without the belt; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the inner face of the belt showing thecentral looped portion thereof.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be noted that the presentinvention is applicable to any belted garment, such as the coat II], thebelt being adapted to be drawn about the Waist of the wearer of thegarment in such manner that the free ends thereof may be secured or tiedtogether in any suitable manner at the front of the garment. Thegarment, as illustrated in the drawing, is provided with theconventional supporting loops Il-II for the belt I2, although it will beunderstood that such loops form no part of the present invention and maybe entirely dispensed with, if so desired.

The belt l2 of the present invention is preferably constructed ofmaterial folded or doubled upon itself to provide the belt with a pairof closely associated inner and outer panels I3 and I4, the marginallyextending edges of these panels being preferably stitched together, asat I5, to reenforce and maintain the belt substantially flat. As appearsmost clearly in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the inner panel I3 of the belt isslit, as at It and I1, along spaced parallel lines in the centralportion of the belt to provide a loopforming strip l8, the opposite endsof which are integral with the material forming the said inner panel l3of the belt. As most clearly appears in Figure 2, the free edges of theslitted parts of the belt, such as the slitted edges l9 and 20 of thepanel I3 and the opposite longitudinal edges El and 22 of theloop-forming strip I8, are each suitably bound with a reenforcing tape23. While it is preferable to form the loop I8 as a struckout portion ofthe inner panel I3 of the belt, it will be understood that such loop maybe formed of a separate strip of material, the opposite ends of whichare secured to the inner surface of the belt, and that in such case, thebelt may be in the form of a single ply fabric.

The garment itself is provided in the back thereof at a point locatedcentrally along the belt line with a retaining strap 24 for detachablysecuring the belt in place upon the garment. This retaining strap 24 ispreferably in the form of a short piece of material which is folded uponitself,

3 a at 25 (see Figures 2 and 3) to provide a pair of superposed panels25 and 21. The upper folded edge 25 of the retaining element 24 issecured, as by stitching 28 or otherwise to the garment fabric, whilethe lower edge of the inner panel 25 thereof is similarly secured, as at29, to the garment. The outer panel 21 thus extends freely from thegarment in the form of a depending tab, and the free edge thereof isprovided with a buttonhole 38 which is adapted to receive a button 3|secured to the lower edge of the secured part 2B of the retainingmember.

It will be observed that the overall length of than the width of thebelt [-1 so that when the latter is secured in place, it eifectivelyconceals from view the said retaining member. In order to secure thebelt to the garment against accidental displacement therefrom, thedepending tab 2'! is slipped through the loop (8 provided on the inneror rear surface of the belt, following which its free end is buttoned inplace, as shown in Figure 2. The loop E8 of the belt is therebyinterlooped with the closed loop formed by the buttoned tab with theresult that the belt is de-- tachably secured against displacement fromthe garment, the belt being 'shiftable, however; longitudinal of itslength to the extent permitted by the length of the loop member l8. Inorder to detach the belt from the garment, it is only necessary tounbutton the tab 21 to thereby release the loop l8 of the belt from itsinterengagement with the said tab 21. i

It will be understood, of course, that the retaining tab 27 may beformed, if desired, of a single ply strip of material, the upper edge ofwhich is secured directly to the garment with its free lower edgeadapted for detachable securement to the garment. Also, instead of abutton and button-hole arrangement for securing the free edge of the tabto the garment, any other suitable fastening means may be employed forthi purpose, such as coacting' snap fasteners or the like.

The important is that it provides an arrangement wherein thebeltsecuring means is at all times concealed from view when the belt isworn upon the garment, thereby providing a belted garment which, whilequite conventional in its outer appearance, insures against accidentalloss or displacement of the belt with respect to the garment.

It will be understood, of course, that the present invention issusceptible of various changes feature of the present invention T andmodifications which may be made from time to time without departing fromthe general principles or real spirit of the present invention, and itis accordingly intended to claim the same broadly, as well asspecifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a belted garment, concealed retaining means for the belt includinga loop arranged upon the inner face of the belt and extending lengthwisethereof, a tab-forming member doubled upon itself to provide an innerply permanently secured at its opposite'ends to the garment and an outerply having one end extending freely of the garment to form a tab adaptedto be passed through said loop substantially at right angles thereto,and means for detachably securing the free end of said tab to thegarment, said doubled tab-forming member being of an overall length lessthan the width of the belt whereby the latter conceals the tab from viewand said loop being of a length substantially greater than the width ofthe tab whereby to permit of limited lengthwise adjustment of the beltrelatively to the tab.

2. In a belted garment, a two ply belt adapted to be extended about thewaist of the garment, the inner ply of said belt being slitted along apair of spaced, parallel lines to provide a relatively narrow concealedloop extending lengthwise of the belt with its ends integral therewith,the cut edges of the slits on either side of said loop being bound withreinforcing tape, and a tab element having its opposite ends permanentlyand detachably secured, respectively, to the garment to form a secondloop extending at right angles to the belt loop, said tab element beingadapted forprojection through the belt loop to retain the belt inposition upon the garment.

3. In a belted garment as defined in claim 2 wherein the body of said.belt includes a pair of superposed plies of which only the inner one isslitted as aforesaid to form the belt loop, the outer ply of the beltbeing of a width sufiicient to conceal from external view the said beltloop and its associated retaining tab, and wherein said tab elementconsists of a doubled member the inner ply only of which is permanentlysecured to the garment while the outerply thereof extends freely of thegarment for projection through the belt loop as aforesaid.

LOUIS W. FOSTER.

